696 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



WILL AND DEATH OF THE WAR-CHIEF. 



The War-chief was one who escaped the disease in Bruselles, and, being amongst 

 those whom I took to Antwei'p and sent by steamer to London, was at that time in 

 good health and spirits ; but letters which I received a few days after their arrival 

 in London informed me that he was there attacked with the same disease, and, most 

 singular to relate, as soon as he discovered the disease breaking out upon his skin 

 he said that he should die, and, calling the chief Maun-gua-duas to him, he, like the 

 others, opened his trunk, and willing his gold medal from the hand of Louis Philippe 

 to his little son, and his other trinkets and money to his wife and other relatives, in- 

 trusted the whole to the chief to execute. He then unlocked the trunks of his two 

 friends who were dead, and, as well as he could recollect them, communicated to 

 Maun-gua-daus the nature of the two bequests that had been intrusted to him, and 

 died, leaving the chief to be the bearer of all the little effects they had earned, and 

 sole executor of their three wills. 



It is a fact, which may be of interest to bo made known, that all of this party had 

 been vaccinated in their own country, and supposed themselves protected from the 

 disease; and also that the only three full-blooded men of the party died. The other 

 four who had the disease had it in a modified form, and, in all probability, with the 

 three who died, the vaccine matter had not been properly communicated, or, what is 

 more probable, and often the case in the exposed lives they lead, it had in some way 

 been prevented from taking its usual effect. 



After their misfortunes in Belgium and in London the excellent lady of the American 

 Ambassador in Bruxelles raised, by a subscription, several hundred francs and sent 

 to me in Paris, to which I got other additions in that city, and forwarded to them in 

 England, to assist in paying their expenses back to their own country ; and shortlj^ 

 after, and before they embarked for America, I received the following letter from 

 them, which I feel it my duty to myself to insert here, lest any one should be led to 

 believe that I did less than my duty to these unfortunate people : 



INDIANS' LETTER TO JIR. CATLIN. 



*' To Geo. Catlin, Esq., now in Paris : 



"London, January 27, 1846. 



•' Our Dear Friend : We send you our words on paper to let you know that we 

 are thankful for your kindness to us. You have done everything to make us happy 

 while with you in Paris and Belgium ; and as all our people know in America that 

 you are indeed their best friend, they will be glad to hear that you have taken us into 

 your kind care whilst we were in a foreign land, and that while you were in a deep 

 affliction with your own family. 



Maun-gua-daus, 



Ke- CHE-US-SIN, ' 



, a-wun-ne-wa-be, • 



Wau-bud-dick, 

 uh-wus-sig-gee-zigh-gook-kway." 



The above letter was spontaneous on their part, and written in the hand of Maun- 

 gua-daus, the chief, who spoke and wrote the English language very correctly. 



1 was much shocked and distressed to hear of the death of Say-say-gon, the war- 

 chief, for he was a remarkably fine Indian, and had become much attached to me. 

 His life, as a warrior and a hunter, had been one of an extraordinary nature, and 

 the principal incidents of it, particularly in the hunting department, he had 

 been for some weeks engaged, just before their disastrous sickness, in illustrating by 

 a series of designs in his rude way, presenting me a portfolio of them, with the story 

 of each, which I wrote down from his own lips as he narrated them. 



This most amusing and original keepsake, which I shall treasure up as long as I 

 live, and which I regret that the dimensions of this w^ork did not allow me the space 

 to insert, can at all times be seen by the curious of my friends who desire to see it. 



